BACKGROUND With the recent implementation of bundling reimbursement policy, the use of intravenous (IV) iron preparations for the management of anemia in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population has dramatically increased. Iron overload increases the risk of infections in individuals with or without kidney disease. IV iron administration in ESRD patients impairs bacteriocidal capacity of p...

Brain iron uptake is regulated by the expression of transferrin receptor 1 in endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. Transferrin-bound iron in the systemic circulation is endocytosed by brain endothelial cells, and elemental iron is released to brain interstitial fluid, likely by the iron exporter, ferroportin. Transferrin synthesized by oligodendrocytes in the brain binds much of the ir...

Iron and copper are important co-factors for a number of enzymes in the brain, including enzymes involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and myelin formation. Both shortage and an excess of iron or copper will affect the brain. The transport of iron and copper into the brain from the circulation is strictly regulated, and concordantly protective barriers, i.e., the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and ...

BACKGROUND It is estimated that 60% of pregnant women worldwide are anemic. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the influence of iron status on iron absorption during pregnancy by measuring supplemental iron absorption, red blood cell iron incorporation, and iron status in pregnant women. DESIGN Subjects were 45 pregnant Peruvian women (33+/-1 wk gestation), of whom 28 received daily prenatal sup...

Benefits of Blood Donation It was with interest that we read the article by Ascherio and colleagues1 on blood donation and risk of coronary heart disease in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The authors convincingly demonstrated that a lifetime history of blood donation is not a risk predictor of symptomatic coronary heart disease in men aged 46 to 81 years. Their conclusion, however, t...